Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati held a meeting with the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, in the premises of the Albanian embassy in Washington DC.

Discussions focused on Albania's contributions within the Alliance, in response to the challenges coming from the East ans South, security in the region, as well as the coordination of the Alliance countries positions on the eve of the upcoming NATO summit Ministerial in April.

Minister Bushati reemphasized the steps undertaken by Albania in fulfilling the commitments of the Warsaw Summit, including increasing the budget and expenses for defense. 

Secretary Stoltenberg, on his behalf, praised Albania's role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, our country’s added contribution to NATO’s operations and missions, as well as in the framework of the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.

Interlocutors dwelt on the need to coordinate efforts in order to consolidate democratic stability and to improve the environmental security in the region, in response to the destabilizing factors in the Western Balkans.

In this regard, Minister Bushati stressed the need for deepening the cooperation between the Alliance and the region with special regard to the continuation of the institutionalization of NATO’s relations with Kosovo, as a way to address its legitimate demands for more security.

In the framework of the Warsaw Communiquè, the more substantial commitment of NATO becomes even more necessary after the last events of destabilizing peace and the region’s Euro-Atlantic trajectory.

Parties agreed that the progress of the state-consolidating reforms, in cooperation with international partners, and the Euro-Atlantic perspective remain the main axes of strengthening peace and democratic stability in our region, in respect of the Euro-Atlantic values.

Minister Bushati and Secretary General Stoltenberg are in Washington within the framework of the anti-ISIS Coalition Meeting.